The British traveller has come a long way.
While sun-and-sangria spots will always have their charm, a growing wave of us are swapping sand for snow and trying a new type of getaway.
Recent travel data shows winter destinations like Switzerland are seeing a surge in UK visitors, looking for adventure over all-inclusive package deals.
A perfect example of this trend is Laax, an alpine resort in the Graubünden region where British visitors are up 66% in a year.
Initiatives such as the collaboration between Black British outdoors group, Explorers, and Afro-Caribbean festival Soft Life Ski are helping to drive this, by diversifying visitors and bringing fresh faces to the mountainside.
Laax proves British travellers are becoming more thoughtful, more curious, and less afraid to try something new.
And what’s more, we’re doing it with the planet in mind.
By 2030, Laax is set to be fully carbon neutral, driven by inventive Swiss tech like the FlemX gondola, an on-demand lift system hailed ‘Uber of the Alps’ that halves energy use and redefines how we could, should, and now are moving through the snow.
I head there to see what it’s all about.
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Europe’s freestyle capital
After a quick hop from London drops me into Zurich, a well-oiled train-bus combo weaves past lakes and jagged peaks and lands me in Laax.
Best known as Europe’s freestyle ski capital, it boasts a whopping 235km of slopes, the world’s biggest halfpipe, and five epic snow parks.
I’m in for a ride.
The second I step off the bus, there’s an instant air of cool — and it isn’t just the temperature.
This is clearly the cool-kid stomping ground of Swiss skiing; from the minimalist design hotels and buzzy restaurants to the impossibly slick fits of the Gen Z crowd, the vibe couldn’t be chicer.
I’m staying at Riders Hotel, Laax’s laid-back design lodge just a few steps from the main lift station.
My double room (£207 based on two adults sharing) is modern and mirrors the surrounding landscape.
From the natural wooden panelling to the muted colour scheme, it’s clear that every detail is thought through.
I take a seat on my suspended-from-the-ceiling bed and sit in awe at the view as the landscape looks down on me.
We really are so insignificant, and I’m definitely not in Kansas Tooting anymore.
Evening falls and Laax reveals its roots.
Born in the ’90s as a scrappy snow park that birthed Europe’s freestyle ski revolution, it now glows with festoon lights and fire pits around bar tables crafted from beer crates.
I order a pint of local craft lager and chat to my guide Martina.
She was raised on these very mountains and witness to Laax’s evolution into a global ski destination.
The next morning, I head to Laax’s ski rental centre where the staff are absolute legends.
Exuding that signature Laax chill, they kit me out like a seasoned pro in no time.
I’m even handed a new jacket and trouser set to break in.
That’s when the warming tones of a Brummie holidaymaker, Kate, catch my ear.
She tells me they’ve been coming to Laax for years now, noticing way more Brits each season — so much so they’ve befriended a crew they meet up with every trip.
‘It’s such a great place, even if it does make me feel like an old biddy!’ she laughs.
You’re only as old as you feel, Kate.
More Swiss destinations to explore in 2026
It’s time.
I ascend 2,000 metres in the gondola, surrounded by mini skiers barely out of nursery and, to my shock, freestyle legend Eileen Gu to my right.
No pressure.
Against all odds, I glide onto the snow with balance I don’t know I have, a gift from my teenage rollerblading and ice-skating years.
After a few easy runs, I graduate to a blue slope, narrowly avoiding disaster thanks to my instructor’s well-timed cry of ‘pizza slice!’.
A well-earned meal at mountainside Capalari is the ultimate reward for my effort to stay standing for the past few hours.
I tuck into maluns, a local potato dish baked in butter and an unapologetic amount of cheese.
It’s a rustic Graubünden specialty and our guide tells me that every household tweaks the recipe, firmly placing it into ‘grandma’s best’ territory.
It’s not exactly the vision of health, but my God it’s delicious.
Taking a breather, I try a snowshoe hike across a frozen fjord.
We follow the UNESCO Natural Heritage Site track past frozen waterfalls and around frozen lakes, passing ice climbers and rock formations that shape this landscape over millions of years.
In summer, the scene looks completely different.
Cows graze, wildflowers grow and bees get to work in their hives across the way, all carefully tended by a man who lives in a hut on the mountainside, of course.
A quick pit stop for selfies prompts our guide, Doris, to bring out more local delicacies for us to refuel on.
From elk sausage to fig puddings, it’s all delicious.
My diet continues.
The chef, who also happens to be our guide’s boyfriend, turns out to be a magician with vegetables.
Switzerland’s ‘power couple’, indeed.
I wake up on my 31st birthday to coffee, cake and a chorus of ‘happy birthdays’ from staff who genuinely feel more friends than hosts.
A short bus ride through the postcard‑perfect town of Flims and towards Lake Cauma, I continue to be reminded how colossal this place is.
Just a few minutes’ walk from the village, the lake slips into view like a terribly kept secret.
Nicknamed the jewel of Flims, it has become a destination for locals and tourists alike.
In summer, it’s a magnificent swimming spot.
But in winter?
A view that even my camera can’t do justice.
A day here is well-spent – there are public toilets, a restaurant and even a funicular to take you back to the car park after all the fun.
Despite its rise to fame, Laax keeps it real: cool without trying, green without preaching, kind to beginners.
Its tagline may feel cringey – ‘Laax is not just a place in Switzerland, it’s a feeling’ – but it lands.
We’re not just escaping for a bit of sun anymore; us Brits are actively hunting fresh experiences just like this one.
Getting there
Swiss Airlines flies direct to Zurich and Geneva from several UK airports, including London Heathrow, London City, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh.
One-way fares start from £76 to Zurich and from £54 to Geneva, and include all taxes, fees and surcharges, one piece of checked luggage weighing up to 23kg and one piece of hand luggage.
Chris Buswell was a guest of Swiss Tourism, but don’t expect us to sugarcoat anything – our reviews are 100% independent.
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Source: This article was originally published by Metro UK
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